Whiteness and World Without Humans

Monica August 3, 2009
Writing Seminar I

The issue of global warming has expanded and as a result experts have had conversations about it and written about the impact of our existence. In “The Deconstruction of Whiteness” and in The World without Us personification of buildings and the earth is expressed. In the conversation between Anthony and Carl, Anthony says “wanting to hear the voice of the earth, the notion that nature is crying out in pain…” (Anthony 265) Through his use of personification he shows us how the planet is being affected by our existence. We have created several corporations where the earth has made the earth feel pain of our lifestyle and from our consumption of toxic products. Similarly, the essay “The City without Us” states “Buildings groan as their innards expand and contract; joints between walls and rooflines separate.” This essay shows us that our existence has helped deteriorate the buildings in cities. This is according to our malfunction of not keeping water out of below ground areas. When water passes through the cement cracks form and a pathway for future water appears. These two works of literature help us understand the bad conduct we have with nature.
When we ignore nature we ignore the mishaps that we cause to our own creations. When the earth feels pain we feel pain, in this case the fact of cracks in buildings where in the end buildings collapse. Although both sources talk about the issue of global warming one takes the path about a world without us. This piece of information states that if we did not exist then the destruction we have caused would stop, yet it will take the planet a long period of time to re-adjust itself. The second source which is a conversation between two people tells us that if we don’t let the issue of racism end then our planet will harvest more disasters. With racism come inequality and no understanding, thus leading to the decline and extinction of the earth.